The Dangerous Life
by Fabricationary
Summary: When Kim's family and friends are taken hostage by a sinister duo of villains, Kim turns to a former nemesis for help and finds herself living on the dangerous side of the law.  Formally KimRon, but with KimShego UST.  NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Kim Possible stood motionless and panting, adrenaline coursing through her blood. She was surrounded from all sides in this old warehouse – the National Guard to her left, several FBI operatives to her right, Global Justice in front of her, and, for good measure, half a dozen local police officers, a few of which who seemed to have scarfed down one doughnut too many that morning, behind her.

"Kimberley Possible," one of the GJ agents shouted, "we have a warrant for your arrest. Please drop your weapon and raise your hands over your head. Let's not make this any more difficult or embarrassing of you than I'm sure it already is."

Kim smirked ruefully, slowly raising her hands, grapple gun included, over her head. Before the authorities could respond, she shot her grapple gun at one of the many scaffolds in the warehouse's ceiling, and instantly she was aloft and careening toward a side window. The glass was relatively thin as well as worn by age, so a simple well-placed shove shattered it, allowing Kim to maneuver her body out the window and out of the warehouse ambush.

Below her, chaos erupted as the officials realized Kim had eluded them. Kim knew that these brief moments of confusion were crucial in a successful getaway, especially when she saw GJ helicopters and a dozen squad cars in the immediate vicinity. She quickly rappelled down the side of the warehouse with the aid of her grapple and took off on foot through dark alleys occupied by a few hardy rats and cockroaches. Feet pounding on the pavement, she flipped open her Kimmunicator and hurriedly whispered "Mission complete – requesting immediate pick-up."

Her stomach turned in nervous anticipation. Her unexpected ally had come through for her a few times before, but Kim, given their previous history, was still not sure that she could totally place her trust in her former enemy. A wave of nausea quickly passed through her system as she contemplated the fact that her partner could betray her at anytime, leaving her at the mercy of the federal agents actively pursuing her.

The Kim Possible of only a week ago would never have fathomed that she'd be a wanted criminal, Kim thought, approaching her pre-arranged rendezvous location. The Kim Possible of a week ago was a confident, self-assured eighteen-year-old who had just graduated from Middleton High and was preparing to attend college in the fall with her best friend and boyfriend, Ron Stoppable. The Kim Possible of a week ago saved the world from a regular slew of villains on a weekly basis, always carrying herself with an air of bravado and self-assurance that came from living in a caring home environment and being supported by a computer genius and an ever-loyal (though not always trusty) sidekick. But how things had changed in a matter of a few days…

Kim arrived at her rendezvous point, an abandoned loading dock deep within the city's industrial area. It seemed like she had managed to evade GJ and their cohorts, at least for the mean time. She leaned up against the side of a building, still panting heavily. She grudgingly admitted to herself that this rush of adrenaline and sense of victory at eluding authority might actually have been enjoyable had the circumstances been different.

"Took you long enough, Kimmie. Hop in." A rope ladder was dropped down a few meters away from Kim's feet. Kim quickly climbed up the ladder's rungs and jumped into the hovercraft.

After ensuring that they were far away from any potential GJ helicopters that might be pursuing them, Kim removed her long red wig, revealing a chestnut-brown ponytail underneath. "I got it," she said, gesturing to the bulge in the pocket of her mission outfit, "and I'm pretty sure they fell for it." Her companion's dark sunglasses obscured her eyes, so Kim only saw a hint of a smile her purported-ally's lips. "In that case," Shego said, turning to Kim, "we can proceed with the second part of the plan. We'll start first thing tomorrow morning."

_A/N – The next three chapters (which are each about 2.5 times longer than this one) are already written and will be posted soon. _

_Reviews/constructive criticism/comments are very welcome )._


	2. Chapter 2

_one week earlier_

The Possible household was bustling with activity. It was the weekend after Kim and Ron's high school graduation, and Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P. were busily finishing up the preparations for a celebratory barbecue. Mr. Dr. P. was outside grilling burgers and keeping the couple's twin boys far away from the lighter fluid while Mrs. Dr. P was sitting on a patio chair chatting with Ron Stoppable's parents. Ron and his perpetual naked mole rat companion Rufus were lounging close enough to Mr. Dr. P. to catch whiffs of the burgers as they cooked.

Just as Mr. Dr. P. was about to serve the burgers, the doorbell rang. Ron jumped up to answer it – it was Wade and his parents.

"Hey Wade, glad you could make it to Kim and Ron's graduation party," Mrs. Dr. P. said with a smile.

"Glad I could be here, Dr. Possible," Wade grinned. "Hey Ron, I got something for you!"

"Bon-diggety!" Ron opened the small box and found a wrist communicator nearly identical to the one Wade had given Kim during their senior year. "It's about time!" Ron complained.

"Hey, better late than never," Wade remarked, "And yours is equipped with tri-band technology, wireless internet, AND twelve kinds of tetris."

"Booyah!" Ron grinned.

As Ron was happily fiddling with his new Roncom, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P exchanged semi-annoyed glances. "I thought Kim would be back by now," Mrs. Dr. P. said, glancing around the Possible backyard, offering apologetic looks to their guests.

"Seriously, how long does it take to drive to the grocery store and pick up a few bottles of ketchup?" Tim complained to everyone within earshot.

"Oh, no prob, I'll just call Kim on my new RonCom!" Ron happily started pressing buttons in no apparent order. "Hey, wait, no, I don't want to open a checking account today," Ron said impatiently into the RonCom.

Just then, a light from above blinded everyone momentarily.

Ron felt himself lose consciousness for what seemed to be a brief moment, but when he came to, he realized that he and everyone else at the barbecue had been bound with rope and immobilized on seats in a small aircraft. He glanced over and saw his parents and everyone else still unconscious.

A knot of fear twisted in his stomach when a slim woman about six feet tall wearing what looked to be an expensive parka and genuine leather pants approached him. Piloting the aircraft was a muscular middle-aged man wearing a gaudy but well-tailored business suite. Ron immediately recognized the duo as the latest supervillains that he and Kim had thwarted, not even a week ago.

"Ron Stoppable, so glad you've recovered," the woman spoke, leaning in his face. "Sally Gable," Ron sputtered, reeling in disgust, "Eww, get away from me. What do you want with us?"

"For starters," the woman replied, leaning back slightly, "where's your girlfriend?"

"Kim?" Ron caught himself almost saying "She's not my girlfriend!" but, his face breaking into a goofy grin, quickly remembered that he and Kim had been dating for over a year now. "Uh, I don't know. Why?" he replied.

"Oscar and I wanted a little, um, retribution, after what happened last week. Nobody foils us."

Ron nodded and babbled good-naturedly, "Yeah, understandable. But she can do anything, you know? And you guys busted out of high security prison and found where Kim's family lives in under a week? Wow, the villains really are getting more efficient…"

Sally cleared her throat loudly and turned her steely gaze back on Ron. "Where is she?" Suddenly, the tweebs, newly conscious and angry at being tied up, chimed in "We're not telling!"

"Oh, I think you'll have a change of heart," Sally grinned sadistically. With a grunt of effort, she threw open the plane's door, and strong currents whooshed into the cabin, stirring Wade and his parents into consciousness. Sally gazed between the tweebs and Ron and motioned to the door. "We'd like everyone to cooperate. We're currently at 13,000 feet, perfect for skydiving, if we had parachutes. But we don't, and we certainly wouldn't want anyone to fall out of the plane, would we?"

Ron gulped. The tweebs angrily struggled against their bonds. Wade, as he was recovering consciousness on the opposite side of the plane from Ron, tried to covertly motion to Ron to emergency contact button on the side of his new RonCom. Ron mouthed "What?" to Wade with little discretion, and Sally soon picked up on their attempted conversation and spotted the RonCom. She snapped it off Ron's wrist and flipped it open. Ron grinned nervously and lied "Hey, that's nothing but my new handheld console!" Sally frowned as she flipped the RonCom open and smartly pressed the button that would call Kim.

------

Meanwhile, Kim was finally nearing the Possible house after being delayed at the grocery store when she had accidentally tripped into a would-be armed robber heading for the bank next door. Of course, being the cheerful, altruistic teen she was, she had had to stop the suspect with a few well-placed kicks and wait while the Middleton Police arrived and taken the suspect into custody. "No big," she thought to herself nonchalantly, "just another day in the life of Kim Possible. Sometimes I wish something interesting would happen to me once in a while."

Just then, her wrist Kimmunicator beeped. Wade had told her that he was going to surprise Ron with his very own wrist communicator that day, and Kim was expecting to hear from Ron right after he figured out how to use it (give or take a game of tetris). Kim paled slightly when she saw the face of the latest villain she put behind bars on the screen.

"Sally Gable," she said angrily, "Aren't you supposed to be in prison?"

"Well, the accommodations there left much to be desired, so Lutz decided to check out and go back to our place."

Kim reeled slightly. Wade hadn't told her about this. "What do you want? How did you get through to my Kimmunicator?'

"Oh Kim, I already have what I want, or rather, what you want," the villainess laughed, zooming the RonCom around the plane so that Kim could see that her family as well as Ron and Wade and their families had been captured.

Kim was normally calm under stress, but the control freak in her caused her cool to start unraveling at the sight of her loved ones in peril. She was about to threaten the villainess but realized the difficulties that would surely arise from planning and conducting a big rescue mission entirely on her own.

"Let me speak to Ron."

Ron's freckled face appeared on the screen. "Ron, how did you guys get captured? Is anyone hurt?"

Ron's usual goofy grin was nowhere to be seen. He looked scared. Well, that wasn't an unusual look for him, but given the situation, Kim's stomach twisted and a lump formed in her throat. By this time she had pulled her car over to the side of the road, her nerves too shot to drive as the situation unfolded.

"Um, well, there was this really bright light…we were all in your backyard. Then I woke up and I was on this plane…everyone else is slowly starting to come-to."

Sally, impatient at Ron's distracted banter, filled up the Kimmunicator's small screen once again. "They're all alright, at least for now. But if you don't cooperate," she said, panning the screen again to show all the captives, "they might find themselves having little accidents."

"What do you want, Sally?" Kim whispered, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, it's really quite simple. Just a few trifles. First, Lutz and I want amnesty in the United States. We don't want to be bothered by Global Justice or any other pesky 'law enforcement' agency as we go about our business."

Kim looked hesitant. "I can try asking them, but what if they refuse? It would be beyond my control."

"Well, I guess your friends and family will pay for their stubbornness," Sally replied nonchalantly, "Second, we want you to retire from your annoying crimefighting ways. And that also goes for your sidekick and your computer genius, as well as for other members of your family, if they get out of this alive. If I hear about you doing one more hero mission at any point in this process, it's all over for them," she said.

Kim shut her eyes, secretly vowing revenge on the villainess as soon as she got her loved ones out of this mess. "Alright, Sally, I accept your terms. I will contact Global Justice immediately and let you know what they decide. Please don't hurt anyone in the meantime."

As soon as Kim ended the conversation, she drove the remaining few blocks to the Possible house. She parked her car in front and cautiously entered her home. It was deserted. Kim hadn't felt this lonely or helpless in a long time. In the backyard lay the remnants of what had been a lively barbecue – the patio table was still set, the food was still lying out, and the grill's last coals were slowing burning out.

Kim ran up to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. She permitted herself to release the lump in her throat. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried before this.

After a few minutes, Kim forced herself up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. When she returned to her room, she dug a small suitcase out of her closet and began packing. In went her battle suit, a mission suit, a few changes of clothes, and a few toiletries. Kim went to her desk and dug out her passport and her checking account documents. She made sure she had her wallet, cell phone, and keys in her purse. She abruptly left her room, lugging her suitcase in front of her, and walked out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind her. Leaving her suitcase in the trunk, she got into her car and sped away.

_A/N – As always, reviews are welcome. _


	3. Chapter 3

It was late afternoon by the time Kim arrived at Global Justice Headquarters. She had already phoned in advance and asked to meet with Betty Director. She parked her car, and upon entering the building, she was promptly ushered into Dr. Director's office.

"Kim, how good it is to see you again." Dr. Director was about to continue with the pleasantries and ask about Kim's family until she saw a frenzied look in the teenager's eyes.

"Dr. Director," Kim interrupted, her voice shaking, "I need to call in all my favors." She went on to explain that the Gables had captured her loved ones and were demanding a steep price for their safe return.

After hearing Kim out, Dr. Director looked impassive. Kim looked at Dr. Director questioningly, hoping to hear that Global Justice would help her when she really needed it.

"Kim, I'm afraid that we cannot offer the Gables amnesty – their crimes up to this point have been atrocious. There's no telling what they can do if we're not around to rein them in. Besides, the red tape that would be involved in that…the scandals it would cause…no, it is simply not an option."

Kim bit her lip. "But what about my family? And Ron and Wade and their families? The Gables have shown in the past that they are not afraid to kill to get what they want…I can't sit around and do nothing."

Dr. Director had already ceased to be receptive to Kim's pleas.

"Dr. Director, please, if you can't offer them amnesty, can you lend me transportation and a small taskforce so that I can try tracking them down myself?"

"I'm sorry Kim, that's not going to work…like you said, the Gables are extremely dangerous, and I can't authorize a mission that would likely kill my operatives and you."

Kim channeled her feelings of betrayal into anger. "I don't care what happens to me! These villains have Ron…they have my mom and dad…I can't sit here and do nothing! I can't believe that after all I've done for you…the countless times I've busted my butt and risked my life for your inane assignments…you refuse to help me when I need it most!" At this point, Kim was either on the verge of exploding or bursting into tears – it was impossible to tell which.

Dr. Director shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, Kim, if that's all for today, let me escort you out. Feel free to come by anytime." Dr. Director rose and started walking over to the other side of her desk.

Kim seethed in her chair, eyes cast downward and fists clenched. "It's alright, I'll walk myself out," she said in a low voice. She rose and slowly walked out of the office without making eye contact with Dr. Director.

-----

The next thing she knew, Kim was back in her car, driving rather recklessly along a small interstate in a wooded area. Kim's mind was usually relatively calm, with her primary worries usually about her cheerleading squad's latest routine, her last unfavorable encounter with Bonnie, or occasionally a mission that lingered for several days unresolved before the case was cracked. Ron made her happy and kept her from stressing out too badly, Wade kept her informed and coordinated her missions, and she had always had her parents to count on to keep a roof over her head and meals on the table.

Now, a zillion worries and doubts were buzzing around – obviously the biggest one was the overwhelming fear that she would be guilty of causing the untimely ends of her family and closest friends. Then there was the nagging worry about where she would find her next meal, or where she would sleep that night, or how she would pay for college without her family's support, or if she could even go to college after this. And what about no longer being allowed to be a hero? Saving the world had been part of her identity for so many years, and it would disappoint so many people if she quit. But how did she feel about that?

Before she could seriously contemplate anything, she realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach that she had arrived at her destination. She was afraid to go in. She fought the urge to rev up her car and drive as far away from this place as possible. Finally, Kim stepped out of her car, took the suitcase out of her trunk, and pressed the large red button marked "deliveries" at the door.

Inside, she heard a commotion. First there was a long whine of "Sheeeego, are you going to get that? Shego….," then a clatter, then loud shuffling, and finally the door was opened by one rather sleepy Dr. Drakken wearing a Pandaroo-patterned nightshirt. Kim suddenly realized that, in the haste to pack, she had left her pandaroo on her bed in Middleton, and there was no way she would make it back there by nighttime. And it was already pretty late, considering Dr. Drakken was in his PJs.

"Kim Possible!" he exclaimed, after realizing who was at the door. He looked a bit confused, then frightened, and then came another call of "Shegooooo!"

"I'm not here on a mission, Dr. Drakken. I'm not going to fight you, and the police aren't following me," Kim rambled. Finally swallowing her pride, she continued, "I'm actually here to ask for your help – Shego's help, mainly – oh wait, that came out wrong…"

By this time, a very annoyed Shego emerged, wearing a fuzzy green bathrobe, and, to Kim's chagrin, fuzzy slippers with a cartoon likeness of Kim's head on each one. Seeing Kim, Shego glowered, looked down at her slippers, then continued glowering.

"Kimmie, what brings you here at this hour?"

Turning to her employer, Shego remarked "Ya know, Dr. D., I'm off the clock right now, so I demand double overtime pay for any altercations I have with Possible tonight…"

"Shego, I'm not here to fight you. I…I need…I need your help. I know you'll probably just say no, but I don't have anyone else to ask…"

Shego glanced at Kim's forlorn expression (which had the semblance of the puppy dog pout, but not quite) and saw the suitcase she was holding. She hated to admit it, but she thought she might actually have felt a little sympathy for her rival. Either way, she was intrigued. She pushed Dr. Drakken aside and motioned for Kim to enter the lair.

----

Kim tried to shake off the wrongsick vibes of being a guest in Dr. Drakken's lair. It was weird enough being offered Cocoa Moo (she still didn't know how that was different from hot cocoa) and food by Dr. Drakken, but it was a totally different level of weird to be wearing Shego's bathrobe over her pajamas.

Kim had told Shego everything about the kidnapping incident, including Dr. Director's refusal to help her in slightest. As she told Shego of her predicament, Shego seemed to be listening, though it was hard to tell since the villainess was busy filing her nails and giving very few hints in her facial and body language. Still, Shego hadn't interrupted her yet or started reading from one of the many fashion magazine spread on the bureau.

As Kim reached the end of her story, she was met with an awkward silence. A knot of bitterness formed in her throat – Shego wasn't willing to help her. But what did Kim expect? Why did she come here in the first place? Was she really that desperate? Kim tried to repeat her mantra to herself - that she could do anything - anything except convince herself that this bullshit she had repeated to herself so many times before was the slightest bit true.

"Do you want my opinion, Kimmie?"

Kim raised her head from where it had been lodged between her hands and muttered something unintelligible.

"You remind me a lot of myself years ago when I left the hero business for good. Altruism doesn't pay – it really doesn't. You spend your life doing favors for people expecting nothing but maybe a smidge of gratitude in return, and then after all that time, you find that people aren't willing to bend a finger for you when you've sacrificed so much for them." The pitch of Shego's voice had started out level but was now rising. "And I think Sally Gable was right – you should give up the hero business."

This certainly wasn't what Kim had expected to hear. "I would sacrifice the hero business," Kim began, delving into familiar rhetoric, "but what about my fam-"

"Stop talking like that, Kimmie. You giving up the hero business wouldn't be a sacrifice to anybody, especially you. You'd be doing yourself a favor – finally ridding yourself of the ridiculous expectations people put on you, and learning to live your own life. Let's face it - your "saving the world" (and sending me to prison more times in a year than a normal person changes his toothbrush) was only saving the lazy bums in federal and global law enforcement from work that they should have been doing themselves."

Kim was about to rebut, but before she could, Shego interrupted with "Just think about it for a sec."

There was a long pause, finally broken by Kim, whose words were punctuated by occasional hiccups. "Why did I do it all those years? I know Wade just helped me to improve his own hacking and tracking skills, which aren't particularly smiled upon by the police…and Ron…Ron would follow me anywhere. So I guess I…I must have wanted this at some point. Maybe it's what made me stand out in a family where everyone but me's a genius."

Following this revelation, Kim reburied her head in her hands.

Shego loudly cleared her throat. "Ya know, Kimmie, I'd be willing to help you rescue your family…but at a price. I don't do anything pro bono."

Kim looked up, thinking the situation was futile since she didn't have anything to give. But she asked anyway, "What's your price?"

Shego rose, set aside her nail file, and walked over to Kim. She whispered something in Kim's ear that instantly made Kim's face turn as red as her hair.

It took a few minutes for Kim to regain some of her composure. "And do you have a plan for…um…extracting that? And what if I do that and then Ron and my family…don't make it? Then what do I do? And how am I going to…" Kim rambled.

"Yes, unlike Dr. Drakken 99 percent of the time, I have a plan. Trust me. Are you in?"

There was a long pause. "Yeah."

_A/N: Keep those reviews coming! Chapter 4 is done and will be posted sometime tomorrow (unless people who post reviews want it sooner ;) ). I am planning to finish writing this weekend (probably 3-4 more chapters) will hopefully be posting a new chapter every day until this story is finished._


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning, Possible," Sally Gable snarled, "it's about time you called back." It had been nearly a day since she had last heard from Kim. "I was starting to think you didn't care about your precious family and friends, who I've so kindly not disposed of yet."

The Kim that appeared the RonCom's screen this morning was the same as yesterday's Kim in appearance, but drastically different in attitude. "Well Sally, things have changed quite a bit since yesterday. I'm still working on getting GJ's cooperation, but I thought you might want to see this video clip."

Kim's image was replaced by what appeared to be a segment from a television news story.

"We have breaking news this morning, coming from downtown Middleton. In the early hours before dawn, American Bank was robbed by a young woman strongly resembling our town's humble protector, Kim Possible." The screen switched to security camera footage of Kim deftly breaking into the bank's safe and emerging a few moments later with a bulging sack of loot. She expertly maneuvered her way out through a neatly-broken window, making sure to purposely trip the alarm behind the bank tellers' station on her way out. "The suspect was pursued for several blocks after police responded to the alarm," the newscaster continued, "but the police failed to track her down and apprehend her. No prints were found at the crime scene. It is estimated that several thousand dollars worth of property in safety deposit boxes, as well as over a million dollars in cash, was stolen. A warrant for the suspect's arrest has been issued. Attempts to reach Kim Possible or her family were unsuccessful."

Kim's face reappeared on the screen. It was Sally's turn to be floored. In her own lengthy career she hadn't managed to execute a robbery that well.

"So you see, I am no longer a crimefighter. Accordingly, I hope to negotiate an alternative resolution to our…situation."

Sally smiled, but for several different reasons. She wasn't entirely convinced of the teen's apparent overnight conversion. But if it was genuine, Possible would be quite a threat to her and Lutz's reputation and standing in the villain community. This would be a golden chance to call Possible's bluff – demand that she carry out an impossible crime - all while holding the lives of Possible's family and friends over the teen's head. Possible would probably screw up and end up in prison for a very long time, if Sally played her cards right.

"Yes, I think a renegotiation would be possible. Let me get back to you on that."

As soon as Sally had disconnected, Kim looked over at Shego. "Was that long enough to get a trace?"

"Hopefully." To avoid Sally getting a trace of Kim's location, Shego had made sure to activate the lair's signal jamming system. "And…yep, we got it. It seems like the Gables are in the Northern part of…"

"Shegooo, have you seen the local news this morning?" Drakken was still wearing his fuzzy slippers under his blue labcoat. "At last, Kim Possible is no longer a threat to my mission of taking over the world! I…"

He stopped speaking as soon as he saw Kim still sitting in his lair. Shego, hardly looking away from her nail file, rolled her eyes at him. Drakken walked off, muttering something along the lines of "So Possible coming here last night wasn't a dream…I better go call my therapist and cancel…no, reschedule…"

"So Kimmie, I didn't get a chance to ask you yet. How did it feel robbing that bank? Any surge of adrenaline after committing a major felony?"

Kim looked down, not wanting to answer.

"C'mon, be honest."

"I was only doing it because that's part of our deal. I…I think I pulled it off well and got a lot more loot than I expected. It was…easier than I thought I would be…and kinda more fun than a save-the-world mission. I just…" Kim paused, "Hey, weren't you supposed to tell me where the Gables are holding my family?"

Shego smirked. "The Northern part of Alaska."

Kim's stomach turned. She normally didn't flinch at traveling halfway across the world for a rescue mission, but the thought of her family and friends so far away was frightening. "Now that we know where they are, can we go up there and get this over with?"

"Not so fast, Kimmie. The Sally Gable I remember from my early days of villainy is a total control freak. If you don't follow her rules, she probably won't hesitate to terminate her end of the bargain, if you know what I mean…besides," Shego said under her breath, "I've got a personal score to settle with the Gables."

Kim nodded. She still didn't feel like she could trust Shego completely, and she secretly wondered if the score Shego had to settle with her was bigger than the one she claimed to have with the Gables. Even worse, what if this whole setup was trap, and Shego was in cahoots with the villains that had captured her family? Was Shego capable of something that devious?

"And besides, you haven't fulfilled your end of the bargain yet."

"No, please, not again," Kim grimaced.

"Do I have to get the Attitudinator out to make you stop being such a wimp?"

Kim looked up in surprise. "Hey, I'm not a wimp," Kim said instantly, letting her competitive nature get the best of her better judgment. "But woah, you still have one of those?"

Shego shrugged. "It was going to be an 'integral part' of Dr. D's next take-over-the-world-quick scheme, but I guess I can spill the beans, since, whenever Drakken gets around to it, you won't be foiling it."

"Shegooo! Onay elltay boutay hetay lanpay..ay!" Drakken whined from the room's entrance.

Shego got up from her chair with an air of annoyance. "Go on Kimmie, get ready," she motioned, ushering Kim out of the room. "I'll talk to Dr. D."

-----

Once Kim was out of earshot, Drakken looked at Shego with admiration. "Shego, we finally did it! Got rid of Possible's meddling in our business!"

"Ahem…we? More like ME. Dr. D, seriously, unless your Cocoa Moo has mysterious hypnotic powers…"

Drakken brightened. "Cocao Moo…hypnotic powers….that's it! Forget the Attitudinator – I'll open up my own coffee chain and hypnotize the world, one cup of cocoa at a time!"

Shego sighed. "Did you learn NOTHING from the gourmet cupcake episode?"

Drakken pretended not to hear Shego's latest mock. "So Shego, how did you manage to convince Possible to give up her crimefighting and switch to crime?"

Shego laughed. "Sorry, Dr. D., I may be a bad girl, but I don't kiss and tell."

"So she's committing felonies for you now?" Dr. Drakken continued, ignoring the latest brush-off.

"Well, under the pretense that the Gables will be more willing to deal with her if she's not a wimpy superhero…but basically, yeah," Shego grinned.

"So are you actually going to help her?"

"I haven't decided yet. This business of corrupting Kimmie is quite fun. To think, I can bail out on her anytime, and at this rate, she'll be caught and put in prison for a _long_ time."

"And then she'd be out of our business forever!" Drakken gloated.

"Sure, whatever, Dr. D." Shego said distractedly, walking off and calling for Kim to finish getting ready. What she had said to Drakken was true – she was still unsure of whether she would help Kim or seize the opportunity to get her out of the way for good. But, though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she'd kinda miss Kimmie if she was out of the picture. She'd miss having a worthy opponent – or now, maybe a worthy ally.

----

Kim shut herself in one of the lair's bathrooms, mission suit in hand. The room was dimly lit with dark-colored walls and stainless steel trappings. "Figures," Kim thought to herself, "that seems to be a common decorating theme around here."

As she changed into it for the second time that night, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was a mess. There were bags under her eyes for not having rested for almost a day. As she leaned in to examine them, she noticed that there was a crazed look in her eyes. She had been on edge ever since she got the news about her family and friends being captured, and now that was mixed with the adrenaline left over from the early morning's robbery, the anticipation/dread of the next "mission," and the unbridled terror, or perhaps excitement, of being on the "wrong side" of the law.

Kim's breath caught in her throat as she began to wonder how she would – or could – live the rest of her life in society. Would she have to go into hiding? Disguise herself? Adopt a new identity? And who would accept her now? What would Ron think? What would her parents think? As much as Kim often rushed to conclusions and made snap decisions, there was no turning back now. There was no way out of the crime she had already committed, and as Kim rationalized, she didn't have much choice but to continue. Her family was depending on it.

"Are you about ready, Kimmie?" she heard Shego shout from the other side of the door.

----

Shego stopped the hovercraft above Middleton Mall. She turned to her passenger. "You know the plan, right?"

Kim looked nervous. "Yeah…make a big spectacle, rob Club Banana, make sure I get spotted on the security cameras, and then rendezvous back here in ten minutes."

Shego grinned. Damn, how Kim hated that Shego was wearing sunglasses, as it prevented Kim from gaining any insight into Shego's intention. "Good luck," Shego said, turning to Kim, "But with your skill, I doubt you'll need it. Call me if you run into any trouble."

"Thanks." Kim lowered herself down the rope ladder and landed on the mall roof, running until she reached a good entry point.

As Kim entered the mall and started walking toward the main entrance of Club Banana, she glanced around her. She saw some shoppers gaping at her – they must have seen the news report that morning. Kim paid them no heed and began walking at a quicker pace toward the store entrance.

As Kim entered Club Banana, she saw it was her friend Monique working the register. "Oh no," Kim thought to herself. Monique saw Kim enter – she had seen the news report but didn't want to believe what she had seen. Kim wasted no time in slinging an expensive leather Club Banana jacket into her bag along with some jewelry and accessories. As she approached the register, she could feel the stares of the shoppers around here.

"This is a robbery. Empty the register. No one's going to get hurt if you cooperate." Kim's voice was cold and authoritative, more so than Monique had ever heard. Monique opened the register and started putting the day's earnings into a paper bag. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the store's security guards begin to approach Kim from behind, intending to grab and immobilize her. Kim seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, downing both of the guards with accurately-aimed blows to the chest. As Kim whirled around to face Monique again, she was now holding her grapple gun. Some of the shoppers cowered at the site of Kim's 'weapon.'

Monique finished cleaning out the register and handed the bag to Kim. She was scared of her friend, and scared for her friend. Only then did Monique shake herself out of her daze and remember the button behind the register that would call the police in the case of a robbery. She pressed it, not knowing whether she wanted Kim to get arrested and held reprehensible for her actions, or whether she wished Kim could get away because she didn't want to see her friend convicted and imprisoned.

Without a word, Kim aimed her grapple gun at the store's skylight, shattered the glass, and climbed out of the store just as the security alarm locking the store's front doors went off. Kim quickly ran as fast as she could on the roof toward her rendezvous point, the cash and the stolen goods in tow.

_A/N: Comments, anyone? I really appreciate the reviews submitted so far, and I'd really like to keep getting your feedback._

_As it stands now, I'm about a page into writing Chapter 7, which will be the final chapter to this story. I should be done by the end of this evening (as of right now, the ending is still up in the air!). I plan to stick to the schedule of posting one chapter per day, so that means:_

_Monday, 8/20 - Chapter 5 - anyone want to guess what happens next?_

_Tuesday, 8/21 - the super-long Chapter 6, which contains a bit that will hopefully make those of you looking for Kigo subtext/text happy_

_Wednesday, 8/22 - Chapter 7, the finale_


	5. Chapter 5

Kim sat slumped in the passenger seat of the hovercraft after being picked up from Middleton Mall's roof. She pushed the bag of money and the stolen items toward Shego.

"Here…take them. I don't want them."

"Ya know, Princess, between this money and what you stole from the bank earlier, you've got more than enough to put yourself through any university you want. We could seriously go to some super-exclusive resort in the Mediterranean and stay there for months."

"We?" Kim said distractedly. Regaining her train of thought, she continued, "But I can't use that money. It's not mine. I didn't earn it. I stole it…I had to…to threaten people to get it. Monique…she's been one of my best friends for over three years, and she looked at me like I was a…freak…she was actually scared of me." Kim had to stop abruptly. She didn't want to humiliate herself even more by breaking down in front of Shego.

Shego reached out and laid her arm around Kim's shoulders. She wasn't exactly sure what prompted her gesture. Maybe it was her feelings of loneliness when she first turned to crime and had no one to support her, or maybe it was the fairly recent run-in with Team Go's old nemesis Electronique that had turned her temporarily good and dependent on Kim.

"Look, _Kim_, you remind me a lot of myself years ago – mind you, not_ that_ many years ago – when I quit the hero business."

Kim shook her head. "No, no, we're nothing alike."

Had Shego been dealing with Dr. Drakken, she would have retorted with one of her classic mocks, but seeing Kim's emotional state at the moment, she decided to curb her tongue.

Kim stared motionlessly ahead, still distraught. "Shego, I've committed two felonies in less than twenty-four hours. The police are bound to be looking for me by now. Global Justice has probably already been called in, too. What am I going to do? I can't hide from them forever? What if they trace me to Drakken's lair?"

"Already thought of that. When we get back to the lair, I want you to pack your things. We're taking this mission on the road."

"But what about the Gables?"

Just then, Kim's Kimmunicator beeped. Kim flipped the wrist-held device open and saw the face of her current nemesis.

"Possible, I've seen your latest 'job.' Attacking your own best friend - nice."

Kim ignored the jab. "Karen, are you ready to renegotiate?"

"I'm faxing my offer to you. I'd like you to _acquire_ some items I've been wanting for a quite a while now. Once you've gotten the items – any only then – I'll let you into our headquarters to see if you can rescue your loved ones. Try before that, and they're toast."

"Can I speak to them?"

The Kimmunicator's screen shifted to Kim's parents. Their hands and feet were secured to wooden chairs.

"Mom, dad! Are you being treated alright?"

"Kimmie-cub…those news reports about the robberies…is that really you?" Mrs. Dr. P. looked hurt. Mr. Dr. P. interrupted, "No matter what happens to us, I really hope you know that crime is_ never_ the answer, Kimberley Ann."

Kim's face hardened. She turned to Shego, who motioned for her to keep the Kimmunicator's camera away from her. She didn't want to let the Gables know that she was aiding Kim. "Mom, dad…you don't understand. I…"

Karen returned to the Kimmunicator screen. "Family time's up, Possible. You have one week from today to obtain every item on my list. If you fail, your family and friends will be…terminated…at exactly midnight PST." The communication went dead as Karen Gable's fax began to print through a tiny hole in the side of the device.

Shego raised an eyebrow at Kim. "Woah, what is that device _not _capable of?"

"That's Wade for ya. He can do anything," Kim replied sunnily before remembering her grim situation. Kim gingerly opened the folded printout and examined Karen's list of demands.

"Hey, this isn't so bad! She just wants some chemicals – that should be easy. What is this? methylphospho…phosphornyl..neal? difluoride? Heh, I never understood this chemistry stuff, anyhow. Stupid Mr. Barkin subbing for our chemistry lab practically all of last year after Mrs. Whitmire had that freak accident with her houseplant, ha…"

Shego looked slightly disturbed. "Gimme that." Grabbing the list away from Kim, she glanced over its contents, noticeably growing a paler shade of green.

"Fuck…fuck Karen Gable," Shego muttered under her breath.

"What…what's wrong?"

"Kimmie, these aren't just some chemicals – these are the precursors to a _very_ dangerous nerve gas."

Kim gasped in shock. "So if I get…steal…those for the Gables, they'll be able to hurt a lot of people with that?"

Shego shook her head. "You're so naïve Kimmie…that is _so_ not Karen's plan. She's out to get you, remember?"

"But she said…"

"If you get caught with nerve gas precursors, you'll be considered a terrorist. If you manage to steal all these chemicals and give them to the Gables, they can turn you in, and you'll be tried under terrorism charges. Even if they use the chemicals themselves, they'll make sure that you'll be tried as an accomplice. And ya know, Princess, a terrorism conviction isn't just a few jolly years in your local medium-security county prison…"

Shego stopped herself, seeing that Kim was getting paler by the second.

"What I am going to do?" Kim sounded pretty despondent.

"Give me your Kimmunicator."

"What? Why? Hey!"

Shego grabbed the device and incinerated it with a burst of her green plasma.

"How am I going to talk to the Gables without it? Or make sure that Ron and everyone else is OK? Besides," Kim continued in a softer voice, "I had important files stored on there!"

"The last thing you need is more evidence against you. The more you talk to Karen Gable on that thing-a-majig-y, the better the chance she has at tracking you and stockpiling more evidence against you."

Kim realized Shego was right.

"I'll have Drakken make you a new one."

Kim perked up. "Really? Drakken can do that?"

Shego let out a small laugh. "Surprisingly. The guy's incapable of coming up with a decent world domination plan (not to mention a decent outfit – his blue labcoat thingie – BORING), but he really is a genius when it comes to electronics."

Kim snorted at the idea of Shego saying anything nice about Drakken.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing…" Kim continued to snicker.

By this point, the hovercar was quickly approaching Drakken's lair. Shego adeptly brought the hovercraft to a stop behind some shrubbery, and she and Kim climbed out, entering the lair through a door hidden behind more shrub cover.

---

Meanwhile, in Northern Alaska, Rufus was busy trying to keep warm. He was nestled in the pocket of Ron's cargo shorts, but unfortunately he wasn't getting any warmer. Above him, he could hear Ron freaking out about something or other.

"I don't believe it! Kim is a hero – she would never hurt anyone or do anything bad," Ron shouted. "At least not on purpose!" he added, remembering the time on a mission where he had accidentally tripped over and broken the Peruvian statuette he and Kim had been asked to keep away from Monkey First. "Eww, monkeys," he shuddered to himself.

Ron was being kept in a small holding cell along with his parents. On the right of their cell were Wade and his parents, and on their left were Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P. and the tweebs. On the other side of the bars, Karen stood next to her brother Lutz. "Just wait until we show you this latest video footage," Lutz laughed.

"How about you show us some dinner instead?" Tim complained. "Seriously" Jim replied, "It's been like twelve hours since anyone here's gotten anything to eat!'

"Haha, not quite, Karen and I had Bueno Nacho take-out flown in a few hours ago."

Rufus's ears perked up. "Naco?' he pleaded, looking at Ron. "Sorry, buddy, I don't think these guys plan to do us any favors anytime soon."

Lutz flipped on the room's television and fiddled with the Tivo machine nearby. As Ron and all the other hostages watched, Middleton's well-known newscasting duo, Larry Larson and Mary Martin, appeared on the screen.

"Good afternoon. We have more breaking news to report, again involving Middleton's _former_ teen hero and beloved crimefighter, Kim Possible. Just twelve hours after Ms. Possible was seen on security camera footage robbing American Bank in downtown Middleton, she was spotted again robbing the Club Banana store at the Middleton Mall. Witnesses at the scene say that Ms. Possible threatened shoppers with a gun-like weapon and physically assaulted the store's two security guards before running off with over ten thousand dollars in stolen cash and goods. Ms. Possible once again managed to elude authority. A warrant has been issued for her arrest, and the Middleton Police Force, as well as Global Justice operatives, are actively investigating this case. It is unknown whether Kim's long-time sidekick, Ron Stoppable, also of Middleton, was involved in either of these crimes. We have still been unable to reach Mr. Stoppable or Ms. Possible's family for comments."

Security camera footage was flashing across the screen – there as no mistaking that the robber was Kim Possible, since at one point she moved really close to the hidden camera, as if she knew in advance where it was positioned, and seemed to smirk into it.

As Larry Larson finished reading the teleprompter, he exchanged a knowing glance with his co-anchor. "Tsk, tsk," Mary Martin shook her head, "Such a shame. The poor girl desperately needs help, but as it is, she's such a large threat to Middleton that once caught, she'll probably be spending years in prison."

Lutz switched off the broadcast. Everyone was stunned. The Gables had shown them the broadcast earlier that day after Kim's first crime, but Kim's family and friends had tried to deny it or convince themselves that the fuzzy image on the bank's security camera was a Kim imposter (not that it had never happened before) or a different criminal altogether.

"I can't believe it," Ron said, still in denial. "I can't even imagine KP doing that…"

"Our KP wouldn't, Ron," Wade replied. "This Kim is like a different person altogether."

---

A few hours after they had returned to Drakken's lair, Shego surveyed Kim's appearance. "Wow, Kimmie, you look like a different person altogether. I bet most people won't even recognize you."

Kim stared at herself in a large mirror. "I wouldn't recognize me, either." Her long red hair had been cut to the top of shoulders and dyed a medium brown. Blue-colored contact lenses effectively masked her olive-green eyes. And the padded bra she was wearing totally changed the way her top fit her. "I don't think I've ever worn this much make-up before."

"Come on Kimmie, how else are people going to believe you're 22 years old?" Shego retorted, referring to the fake passport, driver's license, and Chocaholics Anyonymous membership card that she had had commissioned for Kim's new 'alter ego,' Amanda Harding. "Besides, you look hot. I'd certainly be interested, if that was my thing," she said, winking at Kim.

Kim felt her face getting hot. Why did she let Shego get to her like that?

Thankfully for Kim, Drakken chose that moment to bumble in, carrying with him a sleek-looking silver watch. He stared at Kim curiously. "Shego, who is this new houseguest? Where did Kim go? Didn't I tell you to let me know before you bring strangers into the lair again?"

Shego glared at Drakken, then realizing that he was serious, rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the new, um, radio device," she said, prying the watch from his hands. "C'mon, _Amanda_, get your bag, and let's go. We've got a plane to catch."

Just as the two were approaching the exit, Shego turned around. "Hey Dr. D., I'm taking vacation time now. See ya later."

"Shegooo, wait, I need you! How long will you be gone?"

"Just until the fourth of Never-rary!"

Dr. D. was initially satisfied with that answer, but when he realized Shego had given him the run-around, he started to yell back at her, only to find that Shego, "Amanda," and Kim's belongings were already gone.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the night that Kim had anticipated for a long time – her senior prom. Unlike junior prom, no villains had attempted any world takeovers that night, so Kim and Ron had the night off to enjoy themselves. Though Kim took the opportunity to share a few of the faster dances with her former flames – Josh Mankey included – she and Ron were virtually inseparable during the evening's many slow dances. After the dance had formally ended, Kim and Ron snuck out to the Middleton football field. Kim had many fond memories of cheering on that field throughout her four years of high school, including her senior year, standing on the sidelines cheering for Ron as he played on the Middleton football team. He was the All-American football player, and she was the All-American cheerleader – they were the perfect couple. She remembered wishing that the moment would never have to end as she snuggled against him. Thank goodness he had left Rufus at home for once…

Just then, her pleasant reverie was interrupted by an obnoxious alarm clock. "Mom…five more minutes, please….I'm still so sleepy…" Kim mumbled as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. This meant disengaging her arm from around something she was holding…no, too big to be her Pandaroo, too much hair to be Ron…

With a loud yelp, Kim tried to jump out of bed, but only ending up getting tangled in the sheets and falling to the floor.

"Yo, Kimmie, what's the problem?" Shego poked her head over the side of the bed, causing Kim to make another getaway attempt.

"We didn't…you know…do anything…did we?" Kim racked her brain, trying to remember what exactly had possessed her to share a bed with the woman who, up to a few days ago, had been her arch-foe.

"No, if that's what you mean…didn't know you were interested in that, Kimmie," Shego drawled.

It was too much for Kim. She raced to the bathroom and locked the door behind her, hoping Shego didn't see her turn beet red.

"Shit," Kim muttered, her memories starting to return. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was a mess. Again. The sight of her shorter brown hair and smeared make-up on her face fully brought her back to present.

It had only been three, maybe four days since that sunny day in Middleton when her family and friends were taken hostage. Kim remembered that she had been in a crazy state of mind, enough so to turn to Shego – Shego, of all people – for help. And then she had been crazy enough to accept Shego's help, in return for giving Shego the price she asked – her reputation. It was a steep price indeed - Kim cared a lot more of what people thought of her than she cared to admit.

And so Kim had very quickly transformed from Middleton's hometown hero to one of the villains she had fought for the last four years. Shego assured her it was all for a good cause (heh) – gaining an edge in negotiating with the Gable siblings. And it initially seemed like it might work – that is, until she was given the task of obtaining the chemical precursors to the nerve gas sarin. It seemed like a lose-lose situation – refuse the task, and her loved ones die; get caught while doing the task, and face a lifetime in prison (or worse) and her loved ones die; or complete the task, possibly free her loved ones, and still face terrorist charges. Is this what she got for trying to save the world?

Kim reflected on the events of the previous night. After she and Shego left Drakken's lair, Shego had driven them to Denver International Airport. As soon as Kim realized where they were going, she started to panic.

"Shego, they've got a warrant for my arrest in this state! Are you crazy?"

"Hey, they've got a warrant for mine too, and that's never stopped me."

Kim wasn't consoled. She felt her heart pounding so loudly that she thought everyone around her could hear it as the pair entered the airport's main terminal.

"Now we'll really find out how good your disguise is."

"But what if they see through it and then try to arrest me?"

Then came the phrase that Kim had come to hate in the last few days: "Trust me."

She still wasn't sure that Shego was trustworthy.

Thankfully for Kim, everything went as smoothly as it could go in a busy airport. Kim breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that she and Shego wouldn't be flying on a commercial plane but rather a private jet. But then she got nervous again when she realized it was Shego's personal private jet. She had come to learn in the last few days how Shego had…anger management issues, even while piloting an aircraft. This was going to be fun.

"Isn't she gorgeous, Kimmie?" Shego affectionately rubbed the side of the aircraft. "And spacious, too! Why, my spare hovercraft even fits in the cargo bay! To think, a simple robbery in Los Angeles paid for this entire deal…"

Maybe Kim had fallen asleep on the plane. The last thing she remembered of the previous night was learning from Shego that they were headed to Vancouver, British Columbia, so Kim could begin obtaining everything on Karen Gable's "grocery list" of chemicals. Then Kim had felt really tired, decided to close her eyes for a few moments, and woken up in bed with Shego…yeah, it was going to take a while to get that image out of her head.

Finally calming down a little, Kim washed the day-old make-up off of her face with a hotel washcloth. After taking a few more deep breaths, she unlocked the bathroom door and ventured back into the room.

Shego was watching some television program. Glancing up when Kim emerged from the bathroom, Shego motioned for Kim to come over and see what was on the television screen. "Hey, they get some American channels in Canada!"

Kim flinched when saw the face of Betty Director taking up almost the entire screen. She was being interviewed for a segment on Good Morning America. The ticker at the bottom of the screen read "Teen hero Kim Possible gone bad…the world in peril."

Shego looked at Kim with admiration. "Wow, 'the world in peril' – I guess you're really causing some law enforcement folks – and PR reps – a real headache. Nice job, princess."

Kim ignored that remark, finding herself having less and less desire to insist that she was still a 'hero.'

"So Dr. Director," a well-coiffed anchorwoman asked, "do you believe that Kim Possible's recent actions could be due to the effects of any drug or mind-altering device?"

"No, I think that's highly unlikely. Global Justice experts have studied the security footage from both incidents and do not feel that Ms. Possible is under the influence of any drug or being guided through what she is doing by any coercive individual. And the only known behavior-altering device, a curious helmet called the Attitudinator, was destroyed months ago by Ms. Possible's own sidekick, Ron Stoppable. We have every reason to believe that Ms. Possible's actions are entirely self-motivated, and the evidence shows nothing more than the work of a master criminal."

Kim's mouth hung open in shock.

"And do you know anything about reports surfacing this morning that Kim Possible's family and her cohorts Ron Stoppable, Wade Load, and their families, have disappeared?"

"We can confirm that their disappearance has been reported. Global Justice is currently investigating the possibility of Ms. Possible being involved in their disappearance, perhaps being the primary perpetrator of it."

Kim couldn't stay silent any longer. "That bitch! I trusted her for all those years!"

"Shh, Kimmie, this is good stuff."

"I see. And what charges will Ms. Possible, once apprehended, face in court?" the anchorwoman continued.

"If she turns herself in and fully cooperates, she's looking at five to ten years. Otherwise, the sentence would be considerably longer, potentially life, especially if we get evidence of her involvement in the disappearance of her family."

Shego flipped off the television and turned to face Kim, "Good motivation for today, huh?"

Kim didn't respond. "I can never go back, can I?"

Shego saw that Kim was on the verge of tears. She was surprised that it had taken Kim this long to grasp the seriousness of her situation. No, Shego realized, Kim had just been in denial, and finally she had accepted the truth.

For the second time in an alarmingly short period, Shego's 'soft side' overrode her evil one. She felt that she was largely responsible for Kim's plight. Shego held Kim in her arms until the teen's sobs subsided.

---

In Alaska, where the Gable's hostages were still being held, Ron was progressively moving away from denial and toward acceptance that his best friend and girlfriend Kim had changed. The Gables were once again antagonizing them with the latest Kim-gone-bad television coverage – this time, a Good Morning America segment featuring an interview with Betty Director.

While most everyone was getting some much-needed rest after the Gables had finally left them alone, Ron and Wade were contemplating the events of the past few days.

"I guess KP has really changed. I didn't want to believe it…I mean there's still the possibility that someone is putting her up to this, but it looks like she's kinda enjoying it too. I've never seen her that pumped for a mission in a long time – lately our missions were feeling kind of routine."

"Uh huh," agreed Rufus.

"I don't believe that the Gables have nothing to do with this. They're probably blackmailing Kim in some way to try to get her in trouble, using us as bait. But hey, Kim makes a really good supervillain," Wade replied. As a computer hacker, his actions, even when helping Kim save the world, weren't irreprehensible. Wade secretly wondered if there was any possibility of getting out of this sitch and then working with _this_ Kim. It would certainly be a lot more lucrative.

Ron still looked upset. "Even if Kim manages to get us out of here, with what she's done to do that, we can never go back to the way things used to be…can we?"

Wade shook his head, and Ron looked majorly bummed.

"Call me crazy, Wade, but I always hoped that Kim and I would, you know, be together. Like after college, I would become a bon-diggety world-class chef, she would become the next director of Global Justice, or something super-important that involved saving the world…and we would maybe get married and have a family together..."

Rather than let Ron drown in his melancholy, Wade tried to bring up more pertinent issues. "Ron, if Kim managed to get us out of here, would you still want to be with her? Would you still accept her and the choices she's made?"

"If she's still the same KP inside that I fell in love with, yeah, absolutely."

---

Ron still crossed Kim's mind too, now and then, as the whirlwind of the next few days flew by. She thought about him most often during her solo missions, with Shego as a distant back-up, in the various industrial factories and research laboratories throughout Canada, and later in Japan, that she robbed. She missed having a sidekick – no, a partner – standing with her as she delved into buildings she had never been in before and encountered the unknown. Shego had refused to come with her any mission, insisting that under no circumstance should the authorities or the Gables know that she was aiding Kim. If they found out, Shego insisted, then Kim's cover would be blown, and the chances of her enjoying freedom and a decent quality of life after this week would be dashed. Kim wondered if Shego was just trying to protect herself, and at the back of her mind was the lingering fear that Shego was just setting her up for a big fall.

So Kim slowly collected all the chemicals on the Gable's list. Kim somehow felt like less of a thief when she broke into a lab and grabbed one vial or one bottle than she did when she had robbed a bank or a store full of people. Never mind that these chemicals were precursors to a very dangerous compound. She wasn't hurting anyone…yet.

So far, everything had gone smoothly, or as smoothly as a robbery spree could go. Every day, sometimes several times a day, Kim would don a red wig that closely resembled her old hairstyle (Shego had 'found' several such wigs in Drakken's lair and mumbled about their being part of one of Drakken's old schemes) and her old mission outfit. Shego would drive her by hovercraft to her destination, and right before Kim was dropped off, she would memorize the names of several chemicals she was looking for from a list that Shego gave her. The weird thing was that the list seemed twice as long as it used to be…but hey, Kim knew very little about chemicals. Then Kim would break and enter into the facilities, preferably when no one was around, and take what she needed, always trying to wave at the security cameras or leave an obvious sign of her presence around. This, Shego explained to her, was vital so that Karen and Lutz would know through news reports that she was closer to fulfilling their objectives. It also brought local and international authorities closer to finding her with every mission, and this made Kim very nervous, constantly surviving on a diet of adrenaline.

The times that she wasn't on a mission, though, were amazing. Her disguise worked like a charm, as did her fake ID. Shego took her around to posh restaurants and nightclubs, insisting that she needed to loosen up, as she was, or at least Amanda Harding was, old enough to have a cocktail in every country they visited. At first, Kim would watch glumly as Shego would down a few drinks ("I have a very high tolerance for alcohol!") and start dancing with the most attractive men and women in the room. Kim just felt lonely and wished Ron were around. But when Shego finally coaxed her into drinking a few shots, Kim felt much looser and even caught herself dancing with total strangers, and with Shego…

But at the moment, Kim was sober and not liking her current sitch. This was supposed to be the last robbery – she only had one more day before her week to find all the chemicals for the Gables ran out. She was in Tokyo breaking into an old industrial warehouse, and everything had started off well. The building seemed abandoned when she entered, and she quickly found a large vial of the chemical she sought, stuffed it into her cargo pant pocket, and was preparing to make her getaway.

Then Kim discovered that she had company. She was surrounded from all sides in this old warehouse – the National Guard to her left, several FBI operatives to her right (what? even in Japan?!) , Global Justice in front of her, and, for good measure, half a dozen local police officers, a few of which who seemed to have scarfed down one doughnut too many that morning, behind her.

Kim cringed. Damn, she must be slipping. She had never been this close to being caught before. Either that, or this frantic spree was giving the authorities clues to where she might pop up next.

"Kimberley Possible," one of the GJ agents shouted, "we have a warrant for your arrest. Please drop your weapon and raise your hands over your head. Let's not make this any more difficult or embarrassing of you than I'm sure it already is."

Kim smirked ruefully, slowly raising her hands, grapple gun included, over her head. Before the authorities could respond, she shot her grapple gun at one of the many scaffolds in the warehouse's ceiling, and instantly she was aloft and careening toward a side window. The glass was relatively thin as well as worn by age, so a simple well-placed shove shattered it, allowing Kim to maneuver her body out the window and out of the warehouse ambush.

Below her, chaos erupted as the officials realized Kim had eluded them. Kim knew that these brief moments of confusion were crucial in a successful getaway, especially when she saw GJ helicopters and a dozen squad cars in the immediate vicinity. She quickly rappelled down the side of the warehouse with the aid of her grapple and took off on foot through dark alleys occupied by a few hardy rats and cockroaches. Feet pounding on the pavement, she flipped open her Kimmunicator and hurriedly whispered " Mission complete – requesting immediate pick-up."

Her stomach turned in nervous anticipation. Shego had come through for her a few times before, but Kim, given their previous history – as well as what Shego could stand to gain from letting Kim fail - was still not sure that she could totally trust her.

Kim arrived at her rendezvous point, an abandoned loading dock deep within the city's industrial area. It seemed like she had managed to evade GJ and their cohorts, at least for the mean time. She leaned up against the side of a building, still panting heavily.

"Took you long enough, Kimmie. Hop in." A rope ladder was dropped down a few meters away from Kim's feet. Kim quickly climbed up the ladder's rungs and jumped into the hovercraft.

After ensuring that they were far away from any potential GJ helicopters that might be pursuing them, Kim removed her long red wig, revealing a chestnut-brown ponytail underneath. "I got it," she said, gesturing to the bulge in the pocket of her mission outfit, "and I'm pretty sure they fell for it." She was referring to the fact that the authorities still hadn't figured out that the 'Kim Possible' they thought they were chasing was now just a flimsy outer shell of the person Kim had evolved to become. And besides, her latest crime would surely make front-page news around the world – and what a thrill that was shaping up to be.

Her companion's dark sunglasses obscured her eyes, so Kim only saw a hint of a smile her purported-ally's lips. "In that case," Shego said, turning to Kim, "we can proceed with the second part of the plan. We'll start first thing tomorrow morning. We're taking the jet to Alaska to pay the Gables a long-overdue visit."

Kim grinned, in spite of her nerves, as the hovercraft disappeared into the night.

_A/N: I wrote the scene at the beginning of the chapter ambiguously on purpose, so feel free to fill in the blanks yourself with as much or as little as you'd like ). The next - and final - chapter will be posted tomorrow. _

_Please keep those reviews coming – I really enjoy reading them! _


	7. Chapter 7

Kim was surrounded by GJ agents. This time there was no apparent escape. She was in what seemed to be the Gable's Alaskan hideout, and right as she was about to hand over the backpack full of chemicals to Karen, Global Justice agents seemed to pop out from nowhere. "Stop right there, Ms. Possible."

Kim knew it. It was a trap. Worse, her family and friends were also in the room, witnessing the trap go down.

She fought against the agents coming at her for a few moments, landing a good blow with her elbow to one agent's midsection and temporarily downing another with a roundhouse kick. But with probably a dozen burly agents closing in on her, the former crimefighter, despite her undisputable combat skills, couldn't hold them off forever. Soon her arms were expertly pinned behind her, handcuffs were fastened around her wrists, and something was injected into her that immobilized her from the legs down.

Meanwhile, a pair of agents sifted through the contents of her backpack. Nodding grimly after examining the various vials and bottles, one of them stood and turned around to face her. "Kim Possible, you're under arrest for the suspicion of terrorism against the United States of America. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

As the GJ agent droned on, Kim could only speechlessly gaze at her family and friends. Kim wondered where Shego was, or if she would do anything to rescue Kim from the inevitable public humiliation, media circus, and extremely long prison sentence (or worse) that she would face. As she was pulled to her feet by two GJ ops grabbing her by her arms, she made eye contact with her parents. Mrs. Dr. P. was tearing up and Mr. Dr. P. said "We're all very disappointed in you, Kimberley Ann."

Kim wanted to cry, but refused to let herself be even more humiliated than she already was. As she was dragged out of the room, her last sights were of the Gable siblings gloating and of Ron and Rufus eating a giant naco. Hey, wait, nacos? In the Alaskan wilderness? Something was seriously wrongsick with this picture…

Just then, Kim realized she could feel her legs again. She tried to sit up. She was still in Shego's jet. Kim realized she had just had a nightmare, a particularly terrible one that preyed on her worst fears of the moment.

The jet had apparently landed, since Shego was no longer manning the aircraft and instead was standing next to the couch Kim had retired to late last night.

"Yo, Kimmie, rise and shine." Shego paused, noting that Kim was grimacing. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Kim sat up, groaning. "No, I'm fine…er, everything's fine," she lied.

It was obvious that Kim was lying, but Shego decided not to call her out on this time. Instead, Shego gave Kim a moment to gather herself and get changed out of her fleece pajamas and into her mission outfit and wig before she started outlining the day's plan.

When Shego finished her explanation, she handed Kim the backpack filled with vials of chemicals, then revved up the jet's engine and took off again. It didn't take long to fly the remaining fifty kilometers or so until the jet was within a kilometer of the Gable's hideout (at least according to the track she got earlier in the week). As Kim was preparing to jump out of the plane and parachute to her destination, Shego motioned to her to come next to the pilot's seat.

"Kim, I won't be far away in case you run into trouble. And...I know it's not your thing, but this week you made a damn good criminal. If you ever reconsider, my offer still stands - we'd make a helluva team working together."

Kim looked at Shego and smiled. "Thanks for the offer...but while it looks like I'm out of the hero business, I don't think I could ever...you know...but I really appreciate your help." Seeing that her time window to jump was quickly expiring, Kim threw Shego a final glance as she approached the jet's door. "Here goes nothing!' And with that, Kim was gone, and Shego was once again alone with her thoughts.

Shego planned to wait a few minutes before she landed her jet to give Kim enough time to infiltrate the Gable's hideout. It was really weird that only a week ago, she and Kim were enemies, regularly at each other's throats every time they'd meet, and now the two were partners, united perhaps not in ethics but in a common cause. It didn't start out this way, though – that night Kim had showed up on Drakken's doorstep, Shego had fully intended to toy around with the teen hero and then toss her to the authorities when she tired of her. But somewhere, things had changed…

Shego still had one ace up her sleeve, which would hopefully help Kim beat the Gables.

---

Kim gently touched down on a snowy bank after an all-too-brief ride down. Discarding her parachute, she immediately activated the tracking device in her new Kimmunicator so that Karen and Lutz were aware of her location. As she started walking the remaining hundred meters or so to the hideout, she half expected that someone would emerge to greet her personally.

She was right. While Kim was walking the last few meters to what she assumed was the main entrance, Lutz emerged.

"Ms. Possible, so glad you could make it. You came alone, right?"

"Yes. Long time no see," Kim replied, clenching her jaw. It was going to be hard to curb the anger she felt toward Lutz and his sister for what they had done to her family and friends for the past week. Still, she had to channel her anger wisely if she was going to pull off this rescue.

As she was escorted inside, she was greeted by Karen's sneer/smile. "Wow, Kimberley, I have to admit I thought you would never get here. And you brought everything I requested?"

Kim, allowing her usual mission bravado to come through, replied "Anything's possible for a Possible. Here." She tossed Karen her backpack. "Now where are you keeping my family and friends? I swear if you've hurt them…"

Karen was busy squinting at the labels on all of the bottles. "Di-meth-thel sulfoxide…di-eth-thele-ether...isopropyl alcohol…trichloro…ace..acetic acid…" she read, stumbling every few syllables.

After she was satisfied with the chemicals, Karen looked up at Kim, finally addressing her question: "Not so fast, Ms. Possible. Did you think we'd let them go so easily?"

Kim clenched her fists in rage. She knew it.

"Why, Kim, you have here all the precursors to make a very dangerous chemical weapon. This is a real threat to the whole nation. In good conscience, we simply can't let you just waltz away. So how about," Karen drawled, coming closer to Kim by the second, "we free your family, in exchange for you willingly turning yourself into to law enforcement."

Kim backed away. "This isn't part of our deal."

Karen took out an automatic revolver from her parka. "Oh, I think it is." She pointed the revolver at Kim's head. "So do you accept these terms?"

Kim backed away. She briefly thought that if Ron were here, he'd try to cheer her up (ha) with a remark about the odds of the bullet ricocheting off of her wig and leaving her skull intact.

Just then, the gun was knocked out of Karen's hands by a flying projectile, also sending Karen flying backwards. Kim whipped her head to the side to see where the projectile had come from, and she saw…Ron!

"Booyah!" he shouted after seeing that his shot was dead-on.

Kim ran to the other side of the room, throwing her arms around Ron, before Karen regained her footing.

"Ron, is everyone OK? Have they been treating you well? And how did you get free?"

Ron kept his arms wrapped around Kim tightly. "We're all OK…and we've been treated fairly well, except for the fact that I haven't had a naco for an entire week…"

"So sorry to break up the lovebird reunion," Karen scowled, rising to her feet, gun now back in-hand, "But Kim and I still have some business to settle.'

Karen leveled the gun at Kim and Ron, who were within her immediate range. As she moved closer to them, forcing them back against the wall, she found herself once again halted – tackled by two surprisingly-quick 4-foot torrents.

"The tweebs!" Kim exclaimed. She hated to admit it, but she had actually missed her twin brothers. Maybe just a little.

Emerging from the same room as the tweebs were all of the other hostages. Mr. Dr. P., Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable, and Mr. Load quickly immobilized Karen Gable. Kim looked around questioningly, wondering what had set this wonderful turn of event in place.

"Shego," she gasped, as the green-skinned villainess emerged, letting the plasma glow on her hands sizzle out.

"You're welcome, Princess."

Karen's mouth was still raring to go, though her body was immobilized. "Shego! I should have known you had a part in this!"

Shego nudged Kim, saying "Yeah, Karen and I go back a long time…"

"And I assume you helped Kim steal all those chemicals?"

"So what if I did?"

"Then you'll both go to prison! I've already called the authorities. I called as soon as Kim's tracking signal appeared."

"Uh oh," Kim thought, glancing at Shego. "Do you think she's bluffing?"

Just then, a swarm of GJ agents entered the hideout, ushering in more frigid air. Ron and the others shivered on cue. They had been given little more than thin blankets over top their summer clothes for the past week.

Kim's luck turned from bad to worse when she that the last GJ operative of the bunch was none other than Betty Director.

Dr. Director surveyed the room, letting her icy gaze fall on Kim, then Shego, then back to Kim. "Kimberley, I'm impressed you've managed to evade us for this long, but we both knew when you chose crime that it would come to this." She motioned for the GJ agents to cuff Kim and Shego.

Dr. Director stooped over to examine the contents of Kim's backpack.

"See," gloated Karen, as Dr. Director started reading the labels on the chemical containers, "Kim Possible stole all the precursors to make a deadly nerve gas!"

"Ms. Gable, I'm sorry to say that you're mistaken."

Karen's gloat disappeared.

"These chemicals are mostly harmless. They're mainly common laboratory solvents. They are certainly not precursors to nerve gas." Dr. Director began to scowl.

"But wha…"

"Maybe if you would have spent a little more time hitting the books and a little less time hitting the bottle and the party circuit, you wouldn't be such a _vapid excuse _for a criminal today."

Everyone turned to stare at Shego.

"We were roommates our freshman year of college. She was kicked out after a semester, and I graduated in three years with degrees in child development and chemistry."

"So says the green nerd who had no social life. Besides, I was not kicked out! I dropped out!"

"Whatever. Loser!"

On the other side of the room, Wade and the Possibles, all science geeks, were trying to suppress their giggles, in spite of the gravity of the situation unfolding.

Dr. Director interrupted the bickering between the two villains. "Enough. So why was Kim Possible carrying around a backpack full of chemical solvents?"

"Maybe she was trying to earn some summer school lab credit at Middleton U?" Ron ventured.

Dr. Director rolled her eyes. "Shego?"

"The Gables were trying to blackmail Kimmie into stealing all the precursors for nerve gas, or else they would harm her family and friends here. When I realized what they were doing, I helped Kimmie steal not only the dangerous chemicals - to retain the interest of the media, so that the Gables would think Kim was cooperating - but some harmless ones, too. Last night I safely disposed of all the sarin precursors, leaving only the harmless ones in Kimmie's bag. I took the gamble that Karen wouldn't know the difference between them, and sure enough, the dimwit didn't."

Kim finally understood why the list seemed twice as long. She kicked herself for not coming up with that kind of plan sooner. "Thanks, Shego."

"As you would say, Kimmie, it was no big," Shego grinned.

Dr. Director frowned. Turning back to face Kim and her family, she continued "Still, that doesn't change what Kim has done. Armed robbery, breaking and entering, over a million dollars in stolen property and damages, not to mention stealing dangerous chemicals, even if they've now been disposed of...that's destruction of property!"

As the situation played out, Kim felt sick to her stomach, wondering what was going on and why the GJ agents hadn't yet apprehended the Gables. Beside her, Shego figured that the whole sitch - maybe even going back to when Kim's family and friends had been kidnapped - seemed to be a ploy to get Kim out of the hero business for good. Shego felt a pang of guilt for inadvertently feeding the fire by getting Kim on the wrong side of the law.

"Kim might have done some bad things this week, but it's not like she did them for no reason. I don't understand how can you overlook all the times she saved the world, risking her life to do things GJ agents wouldn't do! How can you forget about the four years Kim has spent helping people without asking for anything in return?" Ron piped up, the anger in his voice rising. "This is my _mad _face, if you can't tell."

Kim felt a wave of relief wash over her. Ron didn't hate her.

"Yeah, and not to mention she was the only one that came to our rescue," the tweebs added, eliciting nods and affirmative murmurs from the group.

"After these sick villains were torturing us by making us watch them eat Bueno Nacho food all week long, and we got none of it," Ron shuddered, recalling the worst part of the week in captivity, at least in his opinion.

Dr. Director had had enough of this inane banter. She motioned for her agents to start escorting Kim and Shego back to the GJ helicopter. Shego knew that if she didn't act immediately, there would be little more she could to do to help Kim. While her hands were still cuffed behind her, she ignited her plasma to burn off the handcuffs. She threw a meaningful glance at Kim's parents and Ron, hoping that they would catch her hint and help her and Kim escape.

Luckily, Ron spotted Shego's signal. "Rufus, go!" Ron whispered. Rufus dashed in the middle of the room and started tugging at Dr. Director's boot laces. Dr. Director wasn't too fond of rodents up-close, and in spite of her usual controlled demeanor, she squealed. Several GJ agents rushed to her aid.

This gave Shego sufficient time to finish burning off her handcuffs and unleash the final chemicals she had been carrying – a cocktail of potassium nitrate and sucrose in smoke bombs. Chaos erupted in the room as Shego grabbed Kim's arm and started running as fast as she could toward her jet. "Ha, those GJ duds never remember to leave anyone in their helicopter as backup. Figures." A quick, precise plasma burst caused the metal chain holding Kim's handcuffs to sever, freeing Kim's arms.

"Shego, wait! What about my family and friends?"

"Yeah, what about them? They're safe. You – and I – won't be if we stick around here much longer."

"But…" There were tears brimming in Kim's eyes.

Just then, Ron, with Rufus in his pocket, came running toward them.

"Kim," he panted, "I'm coming with you."

Kim took a sidelong glance at Shego, who just shrugged. "Ron, don't…you'll never get your old life back. You'll have to live like a fugitive…"

Shego was already in the jet, revving up its engines. "Come on, Kim. If your _boyfriend_ wants to come, he's gotta hop on right now – we can't afford to wait any longer." The biting tone Shego used to describe Ron made Kim wonder if she resented him for being that close to Kim.

"I'm coming, Kim. I've had lots of time to think about this over the past week…I love my family and Bueno Nacho and Middleton…" By this point, the jet's engines were succeeding in drowning out all other sound in favor of their incessantly loud hum, so Ron was forced to yell, his voice growing higher and higher pitched, "But most of all, I love being with you!"

With that, Ron and Kim boarded the jet, and Shego took it up as fast as she could. Shego couldn't hear everything Ron had said over the engines, but when she saw Ron and Kim together in the back of the jet, she felt a pang of jealousy, but she refused to acknowledge it.

---

_two months later_

It was almost a consensus around GJ headquarters that Betty Director had finally snapped. Before the Kim Possible 'incident,' she was usually the first to arrive at HQ at five or six in the morning as well as the last to leave at nine or ten at night. Now, most operatives wondered if she ever left her office. Besides the perpetual bags under her eyes, the disheveled appearance, and an increasingly short temper, there was a definite manic look in her eyes.

Yes, Dr. Director was on a mission - to find and capture Kim Possible, no matter the cost. It wasn't just that she wanted to erase the rather large blemish of failing to capture the teen in Alaska from her otherwise good legacy at Global Justice - it had grown into an absolutle obsession, and Dr. Director refused to rest until she had found the ex-hero and seen to it that she was put in prison for a _very _long time.

It was no secret around Global Justice that when Kim Possible had appeared on the crimefighting scene as a high school freshman, Dr. Director and her staff had been very impressed with the "all-that" teen, both in her abilities and her dedication. At one point, Dr. Director was even planning to offer Kim a fast-track position at Global Justice after she graduated from school. But the more time that GJ spent studying Kim, the more they found that bothered them. Kim was, on occasion, impudent and brash, disregarding authority and proceeding head-first into whatever task she had set herself to accomplish. Kim's bravery and uncanny effectiveness were marred by her refusal to accept boundaries. Dr. Director initially dismissed Kim's attitude as typical teenage rebellion, but Kim's headstrong personality persisted, and she continued to live up to her catchphrase "I can do anything" even after four years of crimefighting. And then there was the business of Kim's tech-nerd, Wade, who broke the law on a regular basis to hack, jam, and access files to aid Kim in her missions. If Kim continued working as a Global Justice adjunct, it was going to take massive spin control by GJ's public relations staff to maintain GJ's respected public reputation as a law-enforcing, law-abiding agency.

And so Dr. Director and her closest staff members had reluctantly decided to terminate Project Possible. No immediate plans had been made for asking Kim to quit the hero business - the best Global Justice could hope for was that Kim would be stopped by the villains themselves - but in four years, not a single one had managed to defeat Kim. Then came the Gables, and once Kim had gotten on their wrong side by defeating them, Dr. Director thought that GJ might finally have the issue resolved. It didn't matter to Dr. Director, at least, that the price tag included the likely deaths of Kim's family and friends. She hadn't risen to the head of Global Justice by being kind and considerate.

After the plan failed, Dr. Director saw to it that Karen and Lutz Gable were charged with kidnapping as well as several counts of robbery for their previous crimes. The brother and sister were currently awaiting trial, and both were expected to be sentenced with upwards of a dozen years in federal prison.

Dr. Director had already gone through the usual routes to try to track down Possible. Even if she tracked down Ron Stoppable or Shego, Kim could likely be 'persuaded' to turn herself in. Before the hostages had been permitted to return to their homes, she had them brought into GJ headquarters and interrogated extensively. But none of them had been willing to cooperate with Global Justice or give even a single good lead as to where Possible may be hiding. No matter - she permitted them to return to their regularly-scheduled lives, neglecting to mention that she had put a trace on all of their incoming and outgoing communications - snail mail, email, telephone calls, and any other means they might have to contact Kim and Ron.

She had even gone so far as to bring in Dr. Drakken, Shego's current - or former? - employer. After a long and frustrating interrogation - in which he was assured that his cooperation might cause GJ to 'look the other way' on his next take-over-the-world scheme (without Shego, he was mostly self-foiling these days anyway) - Drakken mentioned that Shego had helped Kim disguise her appearance and adopt a new identity to avoid capture. Dr. Director now realized why the global alerts she had commissioned for the capture of a redheaded teen who answered to the name "Kim Possible" might have failed to generate responses.

Armed with this new information, Dr. Director orderd a search of Drakken's lair, despite Drakken's protests. There, she found a few of Kim's personal effects as well as one Chocoholics Anonymous membership card belonging to one Amanda Harding, age 22. Dr. Director squinted at the ID picture - a brown-haired, blue-eyed young woman with overpowering mascara looked back at her. So this was how Kim Possible was continuing to elude Global Justice...

Satisfied that she had finally gotten a major break in the search for Kim Possible, Dr. Director issued global alerts for the capture of a young woman appearing to be aged 18-22, 5"5, slim, athletic build, possibly in the company of a green-skinned woman or a blond young man with a naked mole rat, possibly going by the name "Amanda Harding."

After she had issued the alert, Betty Director momentarily slumped over her desk. Then she forced herself back up and called her assistant in to order another large pot of coffee. She wouldn't rest until Possible was found. It was going to be another long night.

---

Almost halfway across the world, it was a gorgeous late August morning at the beach, but Kim Possible was still laying in her bed, basking in the sun's warming rays. She was normally an early riser, but today she decided she needed the extra rest, seeing as how a special guest whom she hadn't seen for several weeks was coming over for a few days. Her lover had gotten up hours ago to pick up her guest, which meant that both of them should be arriving soon.

Kim stretched lazily and finally roused herself. She headed to the bathroom first, running a brush through her shoulder-length hair. It had grown out a little from when she cut it a few months ago, and the dye had faded as well, leaving her hair a rather flattering shade of auburn that she had decided to keep when her roots started showing.

She then slipped on her robe and walked through the small but nicely-furnished beach house, paid for in full a few months ago by her "earnings" that fateful week (the rest of the money had been wired to one of those infamous Swiss bank accounts, which, if Kim managed it well, would allow her and her lover to live comfortably for quite a while).

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was assailed by the hungry mews of Alice, a calico kitty that she had recently adopted after finding her outside as a stray. Kim refreshed Alice's water bowl and set out some fresh cat food in Alice's bowl before stepping outside to pick up the day's mail.

The pieces of interest in today's mail were an orientation packet from the University of Barcelona, only a 20-minute drive from Kim's current residence, where she had managed to enroll as an international student for the coming semester (under a pseudonym, of course) and a postcard with a Colorado postmark, though with no return address. She examined the postmark - the postcard had been mailed at a post office a hundred miles away from her family's Middleton home. As she flipped over the postcard, she read her family's words of encouragement to her. They knew where she was but understood that she couldn't come home anytime soon, and they hoped to arrange a covert visit to Europe as soon as they could.

Before Kim could get all teary-eyed and sentimental, she heard the roar of a motorcycle speeding toward the house. She cracked open the door, careful not to let Alice out, and saw that her lover and her visitor had finally arrived. Excited to see both of them, she let herself out, still in her bathrobe.

Shego and Ron dismounted the motorcycle, taking off their helmets, as Kim ran over to give each of them a long hug. Kim was delighted to see that the two of them were getting along reasonably well.

"It's good to see you too, Princess," Shego said after Kim had let her go, "but it really hasn't been _that _long."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket after Kim had finally let go of Ron. "He's still not used to Alice's smell," Ron explained. "Remember when they first met, Rufus almost got eaten?"

Shego and Kim laughed, but Ron kept babbling about on about Rufus's latest escapades.

"So did you manage to find any Bueno Nachos on your trip?" Kim asked, changing the subject.

"Nah, but I did try this one place called Bueno Taco in the city before I met up with Shego this morning…it was disgusting! Refried beans for breakfast…talk about wrongsick!"

Again, Ron's remarks elicited laughs from the two women. "Hey, that wasn't supposed to be funny! It was totally traumatic!" There was more laughter. The three went inside the beach house and continued catching up well into the afternoon.

- The End –

_A/N : What do you think – does Kim end up with Shego or with Ron? Does Dr. Director get any closer to finding Kim? Will Kim reconsider Shego's offer? Does Ron ever find a Bueno Nacho in Spain? Should there be a sequel? _

_Thanks to those of you who read the story – I've had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you've enjoyed it as a whole. As always, I'd love to hear your comments/criticisms/reviews. _


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